Rise of the Fae (34 page)

He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her face close to his.

“Yes.” He lingered an inch from her lips, making Seraphine roar to life. She lurched forward and pressed her lips into his.

His grip on her neck tightened, bringing her closer. She touched the stubble on his cheek and ran her fingers through his hair. His tongue probed and explored her mouth and his fangs grazed her bottom lip. She licked his fangs and pressed her tongue against one of them. A shudder rippled through him. He stood, pulling her to her feet, scooped her into his arms, and headed for the bedroom.

Her chest warmed and she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. Seraphine fought for control, but Selene kept her at bay.

He laid her on the bed and covered her body with his. The hard planes and contours of his body dropped down on her, making her quake with desire.

Seraphine begged for freedom.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Selene panted. “It’s just…Seraphine wants out.”

He stared at her for a long hard minute. “Let her out.”

“What?” That wasn’t part of the plan.

“Let her out. I want to see her.”

Panic echoed through Selene. Maybe it would be all right. Maybe Seraphine would behave.

“She won’t hurt me,” he said. “She saved me, remember?”

He dipped down and kissed her long and slow, making her temperature rise. He kissed down the side of her neck, grabbed her hands, and pinned them above her head.

It was true. Most everything Seraphine had done in the last twenty-four hours had been to protect Neeman.

“Let her out.” He trailed kisses down the front of her shirt and nipped at her buds through the thin fabric.

Selene moaned. Neeman settled the weight of his hips on hers and rubbed his long, hard length against her core. The seam of her jeans rolled against her most sensitive spot, heating her further.

“Seraphine,” he crooned. “Where are you?”

Selene’s mind floated on a cloud of bliss and her resolve slipped. Before she regained control, Seraphine tore out of her cage and took over.

* * * *

“Hello, loverboy.” Selene’s eyes turned purple and Seraphine shone through. She smiled at him and stroked Neeman’s hair with her long slender fingers.

Relief settled in his chest. He hadn’t even been sure she was really still alive. “You’re still in there.”

“Of course, lover. You don’t think you could get rid of me that easy, did you?”

“Who said I wanted you to go anywhere?”

Her smile faltered and her brows furrowed. “Don’t you?”

“You are a part of Selene, of course I wouldn’t.”

She tried to scoot out from underneath him. “I don’t understand.”

“Don’t you? You’re the one I met in the club that first night, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re the one who saved Selene from the demons.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“Then why would I want you to go anywhere?” He swooped down and kissed her hard. “I love you. Both of you.”

Her body softened against him. She grabbed onto him, digging her fingernails into his back. The feel sent a ripple of pleasure down to his toes. He lifted her t-shirt and ran his hands over her soft flesh. She moaned into his mouth and her fangs descended.

“Neeman.” She broke their kiss and looked into his eyes. “I want you.”

He didn’t need to be asked twice and he didn’t need to be gentle with her this time. He ripped her t-shirt over her head as she reached for his belt buckle and undid his pants. Grabbing his mouth with hers, she bit his lip, making him come even closer to losing control. Ripping her jeans open, he broke the zipper.

She shimmied out of them and pulled down his boxer briefs as he slid off her panties and she unclasped her bra. Then she sprawled before him, The sight had him shaking with need. Her perfect body lay ready and waiting.

He started at her toes and kissed up the inside of her foot, licking from her ankle to behind her knee, making her shudder.

“Neeman,” she moaned. “I don’t need the niceties. I’m happy to just have you fast and rough.”

He continued up the inside of her thigh and over her hip. She fisted her hands in his hair as he swirled his tongue over her belly button and kissed her flat stomach.

“Show me,” he said.

“Anything.”

He looked up and met her eyes. “Show me the real you.”

Her fingers slacked.

“What?” Her voice was a whisper.

He propped himself on one elbow. “Show me the real you. I want to see you.”

Seraphine’s eyes flickered from purple to green and back again.

“I can’t,” she said.

“I want you,” he said. “As you are. No spells, no lies, no walls. Just you. Both of you.”

Her expression shifted several times as if having an inward battle. Then her eyes turned green once more. She stared at him and placed one of her hand over her abdomen.

“Manifesto.”

The skin shimmered and revealed not only the old scars but also the new one from Lorcan.

Neeman leaned in and reverently kissed over her stomach and up to her newest scar. Her body trembled beneath his lips.

He kissed up her torso to her breasts, swirling his tongue up over her sensitive peaks, making her arch against him. Spreading her thighs with his, he kissed up the side of her throat and met her gaze. Her eyes continued to flicker from green to purple.

“Take me,” she whispered.

Neeman entered her in a hard precise thrust. Selene cried out and grabbed on to him. Her warmth wrapped around him, cocooning, squeezing, and massaging him closer to climax. Neeman swooped down and kissed her as he thrust inside her again. Her breathing hitched with every thrust of his hips.

Tingling built in his legs and burned up the backs of his thighs, pooling in his groin. The feel and smell of her body connected to his was almost more than he could bear.

Selene broke their kiss and took his face in her hands. Her eyes bright, her fangs long in her mouth. “Bite me,” she said.

He kissed her again, their teeth, tongues, and lips mingling, scraping, and swirling together like their bodies.

He pulled away and struck, sinking his fangs deep into her throat. The taste of her warm sweet blood rushed through him and pulled him to the brink. Their bodies merged faster and harder. She dug her fingers into his hips, forcing him inside her. He moaned and drank from her as she guided his hips. The build inside him tightened till it finally snapped and broke loose. He disengaged his fangs and roared as he came.

Her fangs pierced his neck and her body shuddered and pulsed around him. She drew from him and panted, moaning against his neck. He continued thrusting inside her as his climax reached a crescendo and then tapered off. She stiffened around him, her fingernails digging deep into his shoulder blades, then sighed, disengaging her fangs.

Warmth radiated from her chest and spread over him until her skin grew so hot he had to pull away. Her body lurched beneath him. He rolled off her as she arched off the bed and sucked in a harsh breath.

The runes on her chest glowed brighter and brighter. Fear held him tight in its grasp.

“Selene? Seraphine?”

A humming sound emanated from within her. Neeman grabbed her by the shoulders. “Selene? Can you hear me? Selene?”

She stayed in her arched position, mouth open, eyes staring at the ceiling.

He jumped from the bed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Selene!” he yelled.

Her body sagged and she bounced back onto the bed. He dashed to her side. “Selene? Seraphine?”

Her eyes reopened slowly. Emerald green outside, amethyst in the middle.

“I’m here.” She smiled.

But which one was it? Which one?

She raised her hand and touched his chest. He looked down. Just below his collarbone above his left pec was a glowing rune that matched hers.

He searched her face, trying to understand.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “You did this for us.”

“What?” he asked. “What did I do?”

“You brought us together.”

* * * *

“I…I don’t understand.” Neeman’s face was paler than usual and fear etched his features. His eyes were no longer an ice blue, but held a light violet tinge to them, which was most alluring. Selene reached up and laid her hand on his face.

“We’re one now, no longer separate.”

His brows furrowed. “How? Why?”

“Because,” she said. “You loved us both.”

“So, Seraphine?”

“She’s here. She’s just… It’s hard to explain. Our thoughts are joined now and we’re connected in a way that makes us no longer want to fight.”

“But you can still change your form?”

“We can. But it’s not like she will be in the driver seat and me in the back. We’re both in control. Together.”

He blinked several times. His brows furrowed.

“I’m still trying to figure it all out myself, but she and I are now one. We’re just me. And I am one, with you.”

She touched his rune.

He stared at the tattoo, which glowed like molten gold against his pale chest.

“You know what this means now, don’t you?” she asked.

“What?”

She pulled him into a kiss and then bit his lip playfully. “You’re mine. No one else’s. Not now, not ever.”

Neeman’s genuine smile warmed her all over.

“I’m okay with that.”

Hours passed with Neeman and Selene in bed together. They made love several times and spent the moments in between talking. For the first time Selene knew where she belonged. In his arms, with the two of them together, the pain of her past washed away.

The time passed too quickly and they soon had to come back to the reality of their situation. They dressed and headed down to collaborate with Danika, Mason, and William.

“We need to find the portal, that is the first and foremost plan of attack,” said Danika.

“I can handle that.” Selene looked between Mason and Danika.

“I’ll go, too,” said Neeman.

“No,” said Danika. “We need you to call all the trackers. Mason can go with her.”

Neeman glanced at Selene and took her hand in his.

“I’ll be fine,” she said.

It was a strange feeling, no longer having Seraphine chattering away in the background narrating all of her actions. Instead now it was more impressions. Something would suddenly come over her and Selene would have the impulse to do something crazy or spontaneous and totally out of character. Now instead of being two separate people in the same body, they were more like conjoined twins.

Seraphine no longer needed to be caged either, but was content to feel through Selene.

“All right,” said Danika. “We also need a game plan in case the demons return.”

“They will,” said Mason. “Now that they’ve located both Seraphine and me, they won’t stop till they have us.”

“Till they have this world,” said Selene. “They only want us to lead the way.”

“We’re no match for them,” said William. “There aren’t enough of us. Even with you and Mason, there have to be thousands of demons.”

“More,” said Selene. “Which is why we have to close the portal.”

“What about the humans?” asked William.

“What about them?” said Danika.

“They can help. We can find out which ones have military experience.”

Mason shook his head. “There aren’t enough of them.”

“True, but if this comes down to a war, we’re going to need all the help we can get,” said William. “I have heard rumors that there may be a huge enclave with nuclear weapons as well as advanced technology.”

“How’s that possible?” asked Danika. “We still haven’t been able to get into those military bunkers.”

“At this point, it’s only a rumor, but I have a feeling there’s one person who knows for sure. And if we can convince her, we may be able to convince them all.”

Danika stared at William for a moment. “No.”

“Danika, with all due respect, if there are humans out there with nukes, we need to reach out. They could be crucial. Not just in fighting the demons, but for our own survival as well.”

“She’s nothing but a problem, William.”

“Then let her be my problem. I’ll deal with it.”

Danika sighed and rubbed her temples. Several tense minutes went by. Finally she waved her hand. “Fine. But I don’t want any trouble from Evan or I swear, she won’t be given another chance.”

William nodded. “I understand.”

“I know no one wants to think of this,” said Selene. “But you might consider asking if there are any humans who’d like to be turned.”

“No,” said Neeman.

“They’d be stronger and faster. I know you Vampires like to keep the blood pure but this could very well mean the difference between humans living and dying. It’s an option they should be given.”

Everyone was silent. Being a vampyr was not the end of the world. Though she knew Neeman disagreed with her, it was something they needed to consider in the upcoming war.

Danika looked at them in turn. “This is it, people. What we do or don’t do in the next few days could very well mean the difference between our existence and our extinction. Is there anything else?”

“Just one thing,” said Neeman. He squeezed Selene’s hand. “When you get a free minute, I’d like to take Selene as my mate.”

Danika smiled and nodded. “We will make it an affair worth celebrating.”

“Thank you,” Selene said. “But I think just a small intimate ceremony would be more to my liking.”

“Are you sure?” asked Mason. “That’s unlike you.”

Selene looked at Neeman. He gave her the winning smile she’d become so accustomed to in the past hours.

“Yes,” she said. “We’re sure.”

Danika nodded. “Then let’s finish up what we need to do tonight, and tomorrow we will stand in the light of the moon and you two shall be mated.”

* * * *

Mason and Selene had tracked the portal to the south side of town, but they’d been unable to pinpoint exactly where the rift was. A tear in the fabric of the world wasn’t easily found. Their magick had drawn them to a general area, but after hours of searching they’d come up empty.

Mason met with Neeman to organize a patrol to stand guard in a one-mile radius until the portal could be located.